by A. L. Jambor
“Alone?”
“No. With a friend from another park.”
“It’s possible. Don’t you need a passport to travel to Europe?” Vera asked.
“I don’t know. I guess you would, though, since you’re going over water that isn’t part of the United States.”
“I may be wrong, but I don’t think Audrey had a passport.”
“You said she traveled a lot.”
“Yes, in the United States. There was something about her birth certificate. Oh, I wish I could remember.”
“Nana mentioned something about that, too.”
“Yes. Grace would have had the same problem. Maybe that’s why she never traveled.”
“That’s what she said. They were both born in Cuba.”
“They were twins.”
“They were!” Mel cried. “She didn’t mention that.”
“Oh, yes. I grew up with them. We were in the same classes in high school. They were fraternal twins.”
“I wonder why nobody told me that?”
Vera shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“I’m gonna call my grandmother,” Mel said. She got up, took her phone off the charger, went to the door, and went outside. She dialed Grace’s number, then changed her mind and hung up. She still hadn’t told Grace that she hadn’t found Audrey. She dialed Laura instead.
“Hello,” Laura said.
“Hi, Grandma. It’s Mel.”
“Hi, Mel. It’s early for you to call.”
“I know. I went to bed early.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at Nana’s friend’s house. Vera. We just had coffee. Listen, Grandma, Vera told me Nana and Audrey are twins.”
“That’s right.”
“How come I didn’t know that?”
“You didn’t? I don’t know. Maybe it just didn’t come up.”
“But that’s the kind of thing I should know, don’t you think?”
“Mel, is it really that important?”
“It may be. Vera thought of something. Can you tell me more about their birth certificates?”
“I don’t know more than I told you already.”
“You said there was a glitch.”
“Yes, but I can’t remember exactly what it was.”
“How can we ask Nana without tipping her off that Audrey is missing?”
“I could ask her about it. It’s not a big secret.”
“But won’t she wonder why you’re bringing it up now?”
“Did you talk to her yet?” Laura asked.
“Yesterday. I said Audrey was out when I went there.”
“So she doesn’t know someone else is living there.”
“No. I thought we’d find her before I had to.”
“I agree. She’d just worry.” Laura paused. “Thanks for this, Mel. She really appreciates it. That dream upset her. She’s very worried about her sister.”
Mel felt a tug at her heart. “I know. I’m gonna find out where she is.”
“I hope so.”
“I’m meeting a deputy this morning who has promised to help me.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
“And there’s a neighbor there I want to talk to. I’ll let you know what happens.”
“And I’ll try to keep a positive outlook.”
“Tell her I’m thinking about her.”
“I will. You be careful down there this time of year.”
“I will. See ya, Grandma.”
“Bye, dear.”
Mel hung up the phone and looked at the patch of grass at the side of Vera’s house. The sun was out. It was a beautiful day.
Mel thought about her grandmother and aunt being born in Cuba. She was amazed that she had never heard about that before, nor the fact that they were twins. She had to ask Conner where she would find out about an application for a passport.
She went back inside and Vera was scrambling eggs.
“Do you want some?” she asked.
“Sure,” Mel said.
Vera took a plate out of the cabinet and filled it with eggs. “The toast is on the table.”
When Mel began eating, she realized how hungry she was, and her plate was empty within minutes.
“That was good,” she said. “Thanks.”
“Glad you enjoyed it.”
“I have to meet somebody at ten. I think I’ll get dressed.”
“Who are you meeting?”
“A deputy. He’s gonna help me find out what happened to Audrey.”
“Are you coming back later?” Vera looked concerned.
“I’m not sure. Can I call you later and let you know?”
“I’ll be here.”
Mel walked over to Vera and put her arm around the old woman’s shoulders. “I really do appreciate this.”
“I know. It’s just nice having someone to talk to.”
Again, Mel felt a tug at her heart. “I have to see how things go today.”
Mel retrieved her bag and took it into the bathroom. She emerged fully dressed and went to the sofa to collect her things.
“I’m gonna take a ride over to Holiday Oaks,” she said. “Maybe I’ll see you later.”
She walked over to Vera, who was sitting at the kitchen table with her second cup of coffee, and gave her a hug.
“Be careful on the roads,” Vera said. “Crazy drivers are out there this time of year.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Mel left the home and got into her car. It was eight-thirty. Most old people were up early, right? She wanted to see the lady who lived across the street from Audrey. If she sat there every day, she might have seen something. She also might have seen Audrey with Jason, and Mel was going to find out why her aunt would let Jason into her life.
Chapter 6
When Mel drove up, the woman was sitting on the porch with her yapping dog. Mel got out of the car, walked up to her, and the dog barked louder.
“Hi,” Mel said. “I wonder if I could talk to you for a minute?”
The woman stared at her. “Shut up, Maurice!” she cried. “Yes? What do you want?”
“I was wondering if you’d seen my aunt, Audrey Glenn, lately?”
The woman smiled. “So, somebody finally came to check on her. I saw you yesterday, then I saw the cop. You could have just asked me then.”
“A cop was here?”
“Big fella in a sheriff’s car.”
Conner hadn’t mentioned he’d stopped by. The dog’s barking was beginning to annoy Mel. Every few seconds it would stop and sniff, then start barking again.
“Did you know Audrey well?”
“Not to talk to, no. She wasn’t very friendly if you ask me. Just hung around with those biddies at the pool. Gossip mongers, that’s all they were, just gossip mongers. Liked to hurt people. Talked about ’em and made up lies.”
“Have you seen her lately?” Mel asked again.
“No.”
“How long has that younger guy been living there?”
“He showed up about five months ago. I keep a notebook. I like to keep track of things, especially strangers. I looked at it yesterday when you came around. I knew you had to be a relative. You look like her.”
No one had ever said that to Mel before. “Really?”
“Younger, but still like her.”
“Did she ever say anything to you about him?”
“Listen, honey, like I said, we didn’t talk. Shut up, Maurice! Damn dog. He never used to bark like this. All the sudden he starts and I can’t get him to stop.”
Mel looked at the dog. “When did he start barking?”
“I’d have to look in my notebook again. Stay here.”
The woman got up, grabbed her cane, and went into the house through a sliding glass door, leaving it open. She appeared a minute later with a ring-bound notebook. She returned to her seat and opened it.
“Says here he started yapping in September.”
Three months ago. �
�I didn’t catch your name.”
“I’m Marge. Marge Winthrop.”
“Well, Ms. Winthrop, if you hear anything, please call me. Can you put my number in your notebook?” Marge had a pen inside the rings of the notebook and pulled it out. “My name is Mel Jones, and my number is 732-555-0645.”
“That isn’t a local number.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“I guess it’s okay. But only if I hear something. I’m not gonna be your new phone buddy.”
That’s good. “Have a good day.”
Mel drove away and went around the park to the office. She wondered when the “gossip mongers” came to the pool. She parked in the visitor’s lot where she had a view of the pool. There were several older women in lounge chairs sitting there. Mel got out of the car and walked over to the gate in the chain link enclosure surrounding the pool. She went through it and walked up to the women.
“Hi,” she said, and all heads turned her way. “I’m Audrey Glenn’s niece. I was wondering if any of you knew her.”
“We all do,” one of them said. She had a deep tan and the wrinkles to prove she had spent way too much time in the sun.
“Do you know where she is?” Mel asked.
“Only what that boy told us, that she went on a cruise.”
“Do you believe she went on a cruise?”
Mel counted them. There were six women altogether. Three of them didn’t speak, but they all looked at each other and then at Mel.
“She never said she was going anywhere,” the one in the middle said.
“When was the last time she sat with you?”
“I saw her a few months ago,” a redhead said. “It must have been September.”
“That’s right,” the tanned lady said. “I remember now. She was talking about that boy. He didn’t like to sit with us so she got to talk about him. She wanted him to move out.”
“That’s right,” a blonde said. “She was going to ask him to leave. He was eating too much food and asking her for money all the time.”
“I told her when she let him move in it was a bad mistake,” the redhead said. “But he was nice to her, and I think Audrey was lonely.”
“Do you think he would hurt her?” Mel asked.
Silence. They looked at each other again. Then the tanned lady spoke.
“He’s young, but he didn’t seem mean. He was here with her a few times, and he seemed very attentive.”
“I never trusted him,” the redhead said.
“You never trust anybody,” the blonde said. “Look, sweetie, Audrey never listened to anyone. She did what she wanted to do. We all thought letting him live there was a bad idea. I mean, he could have been a gigolo. But she liked him and she wouldn’t listen to us.”
“And you haven’t seen her in three months?” They all shook their heads. “And none of you went over there to see if she was all right?”
They all cast their eyes to the ground, then the tanned lady looked at Mel.
“You’re young. You don’t understand what it’s like to be older. If he hurt her, and we went snooping around, he might hurt one of us. He knows where we live.”
“Then why didn’t one of you call the police?”
Their silence implied the same thought – they didn’t want to get involved. Mel was getting angry. So many people hadn’t seen Audrey in months, and no one asked why.
Mel walked away. She wanted to yell something obscene at them, but what good would it do? Marge was right – they were a bunch of gossip mongers, not friends. Maybe that’s why Audrey invited Jason into her life, because he pretended to be her friend.
Mel pulled out her phone and looked at the time. It was nine-thirty. She could go to the sheriff’s office parking lot and wait for Conner.
Chapter 7
Mel parked near the front of the parking lot so Conner could see her. She watched the cruisers driving in and out of the lot, some with backseat passengers, some without. She wondered if Jason had ever been a backseat passenger in a cruiser. She’d have to ask Conner to look him up.
She pulled out her notepad. She had jotted down some questions for Conner. Number one was about the passport. Where would Audrey apply? If she had applied, it would lend credence to Jason’s assertion that she had gone on a cruise. If not, Mel would know he was lying.
Conner arrived on the dot of ten and parked behind her car. He wasn’t in uniform. Mel got out and went to him.
“You want to take my car?” he said.
“It’s easier. You know where you’re going. Just let me get my bag.”
She grabbed her purse and locked the doors on the rental, then she got into Conner’s 2008 Toyota. She was surprised to find it so clean as most of the guys she’d dated accumulated junk in their cars. They usually had to clear a space for her to sit on.
“Have you eaten?” he asked.
“Two hours ago. I could eat something.”
“I need coffee. Let’s go to Panera’s.”
The Panera Bread was located in the Largo Mall just down the street from the sheriff’s office. Conner got a parking spot nearby and they went inside. He got a large coffee and an Elephant Ear and she got a medium coffee and a banana nut muffin. They found a table next to the window and sat down.
“I went to Holiday Oaks this morning,” she said.
“I went yesterday.”
“I know. The old lady across the street from Audrey’s told me.”
“So much for stealth reconnaissance.”
“You’d never get past her. I think she sleeps out there.”
“Did she have anything new to add?”
Mel thought about their conversation. “She didn’t like Audrey very much. She also said the guy moved in there about five months ago. She keeps a record of everything that goes on around her in a notebook. Oh, and she said her dog started barking about three months ago. Apparently, he didn’t before.”
“Three months.”
“Yeah. Do you think it means anything?” Mel had her own ideas, but nothing she wanted to think about.
“It could mean he smells something he doesn’t like. Some strong smell.”
“Oh.” She looked at her hands. She looked upset.
“That doesn’t mean it’s a body. He could smell a dead rat. Dogs can smell anything. And it doesn’t have to be close.”
“A rat?” Mel said.
“Yeah. There’s water behind that park. They live there. They like to get the grapefruit that falls off the trees.”
“Oh, God.”
“I take it you don’t have rats where you come from?”
“Not in my backyard, no. Mice maybe.”
“Did she say anything else?” Conner asked.
“No. I went to the pool and talked to some women there. They said Audrey hadn’t been to the pool since September. They didn’t seem too concerned, which pissed me off.”
“Why?”
“Marge said they were her friends.”
“I think older people define friendship differently than we do,” Conner said.
“I don’t think so. I just think that group, well, they reminded me of the mean girls in school, only old. Real polite, but totally disinterested in Audrey’s welfare.”
Conner reached out and put his hand on hers. “We’ll find her.”
“Why didn’t anyone check on her?” Mel asked. “How could she be out of sight for so long without someone asking why?”
“They would have if she hadn’t paid the rent.”
“I asked the woman at the office and she said she’d been paying her rent with money orders.”
“That wouldn’t leave a trail. It wouldn’t matter who signed them.”
“I wonder if she gets a check in the mail every month from Social Security,” Mel said.
“I don’t think they get checks anymore. I think they have to have direct deposit. At least someone like Audrey would. She’s lived in the same place a long time. She had to have a checking account.”
<
br /> “And to get the money out, someone would need her signature on a check, right?”
“Not if she had a debit card.” Conner said.
“That’s right. Shit.”
They ate in silence for a while, and when they were done, took their plates to the counter and left.
“Where do you want to start?” Conner asked.
“I want to find out if she had a passport.”
“Then let’s go see the Clerk of Court.”
They drove to Court Street. The county courthouse there was home to civil cases. Conner knew some of the clerks and knew this courthouse wasn’t as busy as the criminal one on 49th Street. He parked in a paid lot across the street and put in enough coins for an hour.
They walked inside and Mel was disappointed. She thought it would be more interesting. It looked like any other office building.
She followed Conner down a hallway and to a window that had the sign “Clerk” over it. A pleasant looking woman came to slide the window open when she saw Conner standing there.
“Hey,” she said. “How are you?”
“I’m good.”
“You’re here on your day off?” she asked, noting his civilian clothes.
“Yes, Ma’am. Penny, this is Mel. We were wondering if you could help us.”
“If I can, sure.”
“Mel’s aunt may have applied for a passport recently, say, within the last three months. Is there any way to look that up?”
“I can look up the application, but that’s about it. It goes to another department and they aren’t as nice as I am.” She smiled, then turned and went back to her desk. “What’s the name?”
“Audrey Glenn,” he shouted.
Penny typed something into her keyboard. “I don’t see any applications in here. I’m gonna go back farther.”
Penny went back a year and still came up empty. Conner looked at Mel.
“She didn’t apply for one in this county,” he said.
“Then he’s lying,” Mel said.
Penny came to the window with a sheet of paper she printed out. “She did apply for a new driver’s license. She didn’t follow through, though. She was rejected for her eyesight. All she needed were corrective lenses. I guess she didn’t like wearing glasses.”
“What about the registration on her car?” Conner asked. He had seen the Mercury when he stopped at the home.
